We are just back from 12 wonderful days in Spain, and all I can think about is the man on the message board that compared Spain to California and laugh. What a beautiful country!!!. We arrived in Barcelona and stayed at Rey San Juan which was away from everything but only 2 blocks to the metro....loved Las Ramblas...then we flew to Malaga and stayed at Hotel Riu Nautilus in Torremelinos which was ok but was for the older crowd...loved being on the ocean...everything was so cheap there it was incredible...we didn't know it but the price of our room included breakfast and dinner and it was a really nice buffet..we hit all the little seaside bars here and met some really nice people....we then drove to Cadiz which I didn't care for, then on to Seville which I loved and stayed at Hotel Hespería Sevilla which was near the train station and right in the middle of a shopping area and only blocks from a small little barrio with a lot of good restaurants...we love Flaherty's by the cathedral and ate there a couple of times....the Cathedral was very impressive...We then took the train to Madrid and stayed at Hotel Intur Palacio San Martin , which was very stuffy until we told them we needed windows and they gave us a corner room with 2 windows looking onto both squares...and again this hotel was in the middle of everything....I have to admit after ready the message board I was terrified of pick pockets but knock on wood no problem. My poor husband even filled an empty wallet with paper and put in his back pocket and nothing and we were in some heavy crowds...So, I think Spain is like any other country you just have to be careful anywhere. The history in Spain is incredible, the country is beautiful and any nationals can be really proud of there country..Thank you for sharing it with us!!!

gingalou, thanks for those great hotel reviews!!

I have some questions, if you don't mind.

For Barcelona, you stayed at Hotel Rey San Juan. Did they have a website? I've not found one for them.

For Torremolinos, you stayed at Hotel Riu Nautilus . Their website says they're 2km from Torremolinos City. How did you get there? Or did you?

Seville: you stayed at Hespería Sevilla . This hotel is located in the in the downtown/modern Sevilla. How did you get to the old center of Barrio Santa Cruz, etcetera? Did you/could you walk there? How long did it take? Did you use taxis?

Thanks for your valuable feedback!! Saludos, MadridMan

In Barcelona the hotel wasn't hotel san Juan it was Hotel Rey Juan Carlos , I kept getting the name wrong while we were in Barcelona Too...In Torremolinos we had a rental car so when we weren't walking the beach we would drive to Torremolinos city. In Sevilla we took a taxi to the old town, but then we found an old town really similar and very quaint close to our hotel probably about 3 or 4 blocks away so we would walk there for dinner and I could not get over the amount of people there..